Direct-acting engine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

0. 0. WORTHINGT ON.

DIREUT ACTING ENGINE.

No. 422,680, Patented Mar. 4, 1890*.

n. PETERS, Pnmmmm hnr, Washingtan, n c.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

0. G. 'WORTHINGTON.

DIRECT ACTING ENGINE.

Patented M21114, 189E).

Java/@ 02"- N. PETER5, Pholwljlhogmphur. wmzn wmac UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES C. VORTHINGTON, OF IRVINGTON, NEW YORK. I

DIRECT-ACTING ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 422,68Q, dated March 4, 1890. Application filed March 24;, 1888. $erial No. 268,364. (No model.')

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. WORTH- INGTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Irvington, county of VVestchester, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Direct- Acting Engines, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to improvements in that class of engines known as direct-acting condensing engines; and the invention consists in certain features in the construction and organization of the engine, whereby the use of a connecting rod or rods for operating the air pump or pumps of the condenser is avoided, whereby the beam or beams through which the air pump or pumps is or are operated is or are fulcrumed directly upon the main castings of the engine, and whereby the breaking of a piston or plunger rod operates to destroy the effectiveness of the condenser and thus check the engine and prevent it from operating violently so as to damage itself.

A full understanding of the invention can be best given by an illustration and a detailed description of an organized engine embodying the same. All further preliminary description will therefore be omitted and a full description given, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a sideelevation of a compound direct-acting duplex engine embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, looking from the left of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of one of the air-pumps which operate to exhaust the condenser.

Referring to said figures, it is to be understood that each side of the steam end of the duplex engine is composed "of a high pressure cylinder A and a low=pressure cylinder B, which operate upon the compound principle. Each side of the water end of the engine consists of a water-cylinder 0, having a piston or plunger which is connected directly to the pistomrocl (I. of the steam end of the en gine.

The two sides of the engine are provided with the usual connections by which the prior Letters Patent, No. 841,534. gine, being provided with the compensating manner described in my prior Letters Patent Nos. 292,525, 309,676, and 332,857. The rockarms I), through which the valves are operated,

may be connected to the piston-rods abetweenthe steam and water cylinders, but will preferably be connected by means of connecting- .rods which pass between the cylinders, as

shown in my priorLetters Patent, No. 332,857.

The pressure of the motor fluid which.

acts upon the pistons of the compensating cylinders is in the case illustrated derived from an accumulator D, which is connected with the trunnions of the compensating cylinders by means of a piped, the initial pressure of the accumulator being derived from the force-mainE either directly or through .a volume of air which communicates with the accumulator through a pipe 6, as shown in my The encylinders c, is adapted to use steam expansively, and may therefore be provided with any suitable form of cut-off apparatus-such, for example, as shown in my prior Letters Patent, No. 342,669. This apparatus is not, however, illustrated in the present case, as it forms no part of the present invention.

The operation of the engine thus organized is well known and is fully set forth in' the Letters Patent referred to, and need not, there fore, be herein described in detail.

The steam, after performing its work in the cylinders. A B, is exhausted from. the latter into exhaust-pipes F, and passes thence into acondenser G, which may be of any suitable form, but as herein illustrated is of the wellpipes f, which communicate with the suction chamber 11 of the water end of the engine. The air and water are exhausted from the condenser by means of two air-pumps I, the suction-chambersg (see Fig. 8) of which communicate through pipes h with the bottom of the condenser. The forcechambers 7c of the pumps 1 communicate with the common discharge-pipe Z, through which the water and air are discharged. The pistons m of the pumps I are provided with long and slightly -flexiblepiston-rods n, which are connected to the lower ends of a pair of rocking beams K, the upper ends of which are connected by means of links 19 with those portions of the piston-rods a which project through and beyond the watercylinders. The beams K are fulcrumed upon supports 8, which are secured directly to the suction-main L, which is in turn of course connected rigidly to the main castings ofthe water end of the engine. By this means any slight settling or displacement of the engine after it is placed in position, which may occur owing to the great weight of the engine, does not destroy the relation between the beams K and the other parts of the engine, and thus prevent the proper operation of the pumps 1, which would be the case if the beams K were fulcrumed upon supports disconnected from the engine.

By operating the air-pumps from beams located in the rear or outside of the water end of the engine it becomes possible to extend the piston-rods n and connect them directly provide means by which, in case of the break ing of a piston-rod, which would operate to suddenly relieve the engine of its load, the engine will be checked before it can operate violently so as to damage itself. This result is to a great extent accomplished by connectin g the rock-arms b, which operate the valves .of the engine, with the piston-rods a outside the water-cylinders, as described in, the Letters Patent before referred to. The checking of the engine is, however, still further provided for in the present case by operating the airpumps which exhaust the condenser from those portions of the piston-rods which extend through the Water-cylinders.

From this arrangement it will readily be seen that in case of the breaking of either one of the piston-rods a, the pump I which is operated from that rod will be immediately stopped, thus destroying the vacuum in the condenser and creating a back-pressure upon the pistons of the cylinders B, which will operate to check the engine.

Although the invention is herein illustrated as applied to a compound duplex engine, it is to be understood that the invention may be and is intended to be applied to simple as well as compound engines and to single as Well as duplex. It is also to be understood that the invention may be applied to those engines which are not provided with the compensating cylinders.

WVhat I claim is- 1. The combination, with a pumping-engine having its piston-rod extended through its water-cylinder, of a condenser for said engine and an air-pump for exhausting said condenser, having its piston-rod connected to the piston-rod of the engine at a point beyond the water-cylinder, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a duplex condensing-engine having its piston-rods extended through the water-cylinder, of air-pumps for exhausting the condenser, having their piston-rods connected to the piston-rods of the engine beyond the watercylinders, subs tantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto se my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHAS. O. lVORTI-IINGTON. WVitnesses:

OHAs. A. HAGUE, H. G. H. 'JARR. 

